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The 70-200m F2.8 is one of Canon's L series professional quality lenses, and therefore built to the very highest standards. The construction appears to be essentially of metal, and the internal focus and zoom design gives a sense of robustness and solidity to the 'one-piece' design which few other lenses match. The lens is moisture and dust resistant, and incorporates a rubber 'O'-ring around the mount to provide a seal with the camera body. The striking off-white color to is apparently designed to reduce the effects of heating under direct sunlight (and quite possibly not without some degree of marketing value).
The optical formula is suitably complex - 23 elements in 19 groups - and includes no fewer than five ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass elements, plus one made from fluorite, to minimize chromatic aberration. The minimum focus distance has been decreased giving improved maximum magnification, the IS system updated to give a claimed 4 stops of stabilization, and the autofocus system revised to meet the demands of Canon's latest fast, high-resolution DSLRs such as the EOS-1D Mark IV. The lens is also, as is usual for Canon's L series optics, fully sealed against dust and water.
Of course all this comes at a considerable price - as usual with a new release, the 'II' lens commands a hefty premium over the previous version of the lens, which also makes it around four times as expensive as its (non-image stabilized) third party rivals from the likes of Sigma and Tamron. Indeed with an introductory price well over the $2000 mark, many potential upgraders will surely be wondering whether the improvements can possibly be worth the money.
Headline features
- 70-200mm focal length range; fast F2.8 constant maximum aperture
- Optical image stabilization – 4 stops
- Ring-type USM focusing with full-time manual override
- EF mount for Canon 35mm full-frame and APS-C DSLRS
This lens features Canon's ultrasonic motor for autofocus, which performs extremely well; it's practically silent in operation, and we saw no evidence of any systematic focusing errors. We found focusing to be extremely fast and accurate in everyday use on all of the bodies used for testing, however it must be noted that focus speed and accuracy is dependent upon a number of variables, including the camera body used, subject contrast, and light levels.
The lens is pretty typical in size for its class, and therefore potential upgraders should appreciate that it's significantly larger and heavier than consumer telezooms such as the 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS USM. This therefore may well not be a lens you'll want to carry around all day when exploring a new city, for example.
On the camera
This is a sizeable lens, and therefore handles best on larger bodies such as the 1D(s) series, although it still works very well on intermediate bodies such as the 5D Mark II and 7D. The balance of the lens is excellent, and the zoom ring is positioned perfectly towards the center of gravity of the lens/body combination; however a distinct shift in grip is required to operate the manual focus ring. Perhaps surprisingly, the lens also proves to be reasonably workable on compact EOS bodies such as the 550D, by holding the combination primarily by the lens and treating the camera essentially as a glorified rear lens cap.
The EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM changes its angle of view quite markedly on focusing, becoming narrower at closer distances. This is much the same behavior as the older lens and most others of this type, but notably opposite to Nikon's 70-200mm F2.8 VR II, which gets rather wider on focusing closer.
Illation
Plus
- Exceptional image quality
- Superb build quality, including dust- and water-sealing
- Highly effective image stabilization
- Excellent autofocus and manual override
Minus
- Relatively harsh rendition of out-of-focus areas of the image
- Somewhat susceptible to flare with direct light sources in or close to the frame
- Inconvenient design of tripod mount ring (can't be detached without taking lens off camera)
Overall
The Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM comes as a welcome update for Canon's professional fast telephoto zoom. While we liked the old version when we reviewed it two years ago, the rapid increase in pixel count on the latest generations of cameras (coupled, it must be said, with Canon's insistence that all those extra pixels are there to provide a greater scope for cropping) has placed its optical qualities and autofocus capabilities under ever finer scrutiny, and as a result it has been found increasingly wanting (especially on the likes of the EOS 7D).
In terms of build and handling, there's very little to complain about either. The lens maintains the same solid metal-bodied, dust- and water-sealed construction as the older version, and the slightly wider focusing ring and locking button on the lens hood come as small but welcome improvements. About the only remaining (minor) criticism is with the design of the tripod mount ring, which can't be removed without detaching the lens from the camera body, and has no alignment markings for shooting in portrait format.
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| ISO Speed: 400 Focal Length: 150.0mm Exposure Data: f/2.8 @ 1/800s |
The new version changes all that, providing quite simply breathtaking optical performance on both APS-C and full-frame bodies. It's exceptionally sharp, even wide open at F2.8 - so much so that there's practically no visible improvement in the center on stopping down, and just a little at the corners. Chromatic aberration is extremely low (helped no doubt by that fluorite element), distortion well under control, and vignetting more or less average for its class. This all makes for a hugely impressive showing in our studio tests, especially when compared to its predecessor. However it does come at the expense of the quality of the rendition of out-of-focus regions of the image (or 'bokeh'), which tend to look a bit more 'busy' and obtrusive compared to the old lens.
Perhaps the one blot on the landscape is relatively unimpressive image quality at close focus distances, making the shorter minimum focus, and improved maximum magnification, a little less useful than it looks on paper. However it must be noted that our test sample clearly displayed some asymmetry in the optics at close focus distances, with the right side of the frame becoming visibly softer than the left - something which may not be representative of the design as a whole.
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| ISO Speed: 400 Focal Length: 200.0mm Exposure Data: f/2.8 @ 1/2500s |
According to our tests and shooting experience, Canon has also made good on its promise to improve the image stabilization system, which now delivers sharp images hand held at shutter speeds about a stop slower than before. Couple this with fast and reliable autofocus, and the lens simply delivers the goods time after time with the minimum of fuss - exactly what you'd hope for (and expect) at this level.
Then, the EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM gains about as close as it gets to an unqualified recommendation, given the price. Its combination of exceptional optics and quirk-free design even manages to surpass Nikon's equivalent that we tested recently, stealing the crown of 'Best in Class' by a whisker. It's a significant improvement over what was already an accomplished lens, capable of consistently delivering results that will satisfy the most demanding of users, and you can't ask for much more than that.
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